The Hemisphere: High Cost of Jets

One reason why neighbors Peru and Ecuador are more than ordinarily
touchy about their long-standing border dispute (see above) is that
they are currently competing with each other in an expensive jet
air-power race. Last year the Peruvians asked the U.S. to sell them
twelve F-86 Sabre-jet fighters. During the past ten months, Ecuador got
twelve Meteor fighters and six Canberra twin-jet medium bombers from
Britain. Last week came the Peruvian retort: the government announced
that it had signed up for 20 of Britain's late-model Hawker Hunters.